This November marks the 20th anniversary of Scott Peterson’s conviction for the murders of his wife Laci and their unborn son. The expected name for the baby boy would have been Conner, making him the couple’s first child.

As this significant anniversary approaches, two new documentaries are examining the tragic events of 2002. On Christmas Eve, Laci, who was eight months pregnant, vanished. Scott claimed he had gone fishing at Berkeley Marina, which is about 90 miles away from their home in Modesto, California. After returning, he found Laci’s car parked in the driveway and her purse left untouched, but Laci was not home. He washed his clothes, had pizza, showered, and then called Laci’s mother to express his concern that she was missing.

Eventually, the bodies of Laci and Conner were discovered near the marina. Shortly after, authorities took Scott into custody while he was in possession of $15,000 and several cell phones. He is currently serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison, located about an hour southeast of Sacramento.

On August 14, Netflix released “American Murder: Laci Peterson,” just before Peacock’s “Face to Face with Scott Peterson,” which will start streaming on August 20.

These recent releases are part of a series of documentaries that tell the story. “American Murder” presents evidence that strongly implicates Scott and includes interviews with Laci’s family, friends, and police officials. “Face to Face” gives Scott his first chance to speak since his arrest, where he maintains his innocence and discusses efforts by the Los Angeles Innocence Project to obtain a retrial based on new evidence.

Scott has expressed regret over not testifying during his trial, stating, “If I can show people the truth and they’re willing to accept it, that would be the greatest achievement for me right now — because I did not kill my family,” according to People.

According to Skye Borgman, the director of “American Murder,” her team had been communicating with Scott for several months, but ultimately he declined to take part, which she said was fine with her.

“My focus was really on Laci. Many previous and current media portrayals have centered around Scott, and we seem to have lost sight of the victims in this case,” says Borgman. “It’s crucial for me and my work to keep victim narratives at the forefront.”

The question she would have liked to ask Scott? Plainly, “Why?”

In the three-part docuseries, Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, reveals her initial doubts about Scott, expressing concern that he seemed “too good to be true” and was possibly misleading Laci.

“Speaking to Sharon — perhaps because she has had two decades to think about it — she can now acknowledge that she never fully trusted him, there was always this small intuition telling her something was off with Scott,” Borgman mentions. “When she states, ‘I’ve learned one thing: to trust my instincts,’ it’s a powerful takeaway for everyone.”

“American Murder” also provides Amber Frey an opportunity to share her side of the story. Although she was labeled in the media as Scott’s mistress, Frey has maintained that she believed Scott was single when their relationship began in November 2002. Prior to Laci’s disappearance, Scott allegedly informed Amber that he had lost his wife and was getting ready to face the first holiday season without her.

Once Amber discovered that Scott was married and Laci was missing, she reached out to the Modesto Police Department and assisted them by recording her phone conversations with Scott.

Borgman notes, “We still don’t fully appreciate how courageous Amber was. People often refer to her simply as ‘the mistress,’ but we should view Amber as a brave individual who came forward, engaged with Scott over several weeks, and provided important recorded evidence that helped the Modesto police build their case against him.”

“American Murder” also includes insights from Scott’s sister, Susan Caudillo, and his sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, who pursued a law degree to aid in proving Scott’s innocence.

Borgman shared that her team investigated the claims made by Caudillo and Janey.

“We analyzed police reports and were prepared to say, ‘Yes, there’s something significant here,’” Borgman remarked. “But we couldn’t find any corroborating evidence for their statements.”

The director aspires to highlight the issue of intimate partner violence and emphasize that homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the U.S.

“Women face real dangers in today’s society,” Borgman concludes. “I hope that viewers come away with a greater awareness.